Automatic train-pipe connector.



r. v. ROBINSON.

AUTOMATICI'BMN PIP E CONNECTOR.

Patemd Nov. 6, 1917.

3 'SHEETS-SHEET 1 UE L Witwe/awo 3 S [ETS-SHEET 2.

J. V. ROBINSON. AUTOMATIC mm Pwpconuecon. APPLICATION FILED DEC 5, ISIS RENEWED SEPTJIIX. |917- y .Patented Nov. 6, 191'? .www m Nw 1. vRoINsoN. 'AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECT APPLICATION FILED DEC- 5. 19I31 I'IENEWED SE PT. i3,

Nov. 6, 1917.`

3 SHEETS-SHEET Patented y wi kwamen JOSEPH v. ROBINSON, 'or iaEaNEoaD, ooNNEoTIoU'r.`

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-PIPE CONNECTOR.

Application mea recember 5, i913, seriai'No. 804,898.

To all whom it may concern Be it known .that I, JOSEPH V. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States, and resident l. Aoflranford,county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful -Improvements in` Automatic Train- Pipe Connectors, of which the following is a specification. f l rlhis invention relates tO automatic train pipe connectors and has among its'objects to vprovide'an improvedfcoupling head lof simple construction that will be inexpensive to make and having guiding means' adapted to accurately aline the head. with a mating.

connector, free from all binding. and jamn `ming of the heads, when coupling on sharp curves and under conditions of extreme inequality in the height of cars; and to provide i i also an improved interchange for coupling up a-car equipped with the automatic connector with one not'so equipped. Other novel features of construction will appear from the following description and in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved connector. Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of Fig. 1. f

Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof a modification of the interchange shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. f1 is a detail View taken on the line A--A of Figs. 2 and 3, showing the lock em;y bodied in the construction of the interchange.- t

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the above. 100k. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the partsf shown in Fig. l, and

7 is a rear elevation of the connector head showing themanner of engaging the supporting spring therewith '1 Referring more particularly to the drawingsflldy invention comprises a two-'piece 1 9 and 10 Ain assembling. The base suspends .base A provided with grooves 11 in which the'1 base coil of the spring D is rigidly clamped against rotary movement When the-pieces of the base are bolted together' by thebolts .the connector from a-lug C, which is, suitably connected to the car, and is adjustable relative to the lug alon the slots 12.

The spr-in `D is co ed' of a' tapered bar l alldls provi ed at its small end with afbentf 1 out portion 13 that extends into a comple#- mentary notch 14 in the ange 1 5 of the cou-A pling head E, .to lock the head againstrota- AIn adapting the interchange to service, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ov.- 6, 191 7,

Renewed september is, 1917.a semi No. 191,303.

tion relative tothe spring, In this manner.

the head is held in Iproper position for coupling, butpermitted to rotate slightly about its axis' to accommodate therocking movementot cars. Such rotation Iofthe head, of*

course, twists the spring, ysince the springis Alocked against rotary movement in the base, producing a torsional resistance which will return the head to-its normal position .when

the twisting strains are relieved. A flange 16 isprovided at the rear of the coupling head to give strength to the latter-and surrounds the small end of the spring, as shown.

wardly on the pipe to a slight 'extent toperer mit close connection of the gaskets of opposing pipes should dirt or foreign substances prevent contact of the faces of the heads.y

The pipe' extends axially through the spring D and the base A and is free to oscill'ate in any direction 'relative to the base and' may also vrotate freely therein and in the head. It carries arib or flange 19 normally bearing against the rear face of the base to limit the forward movementl of the head E i with ,respect to the base. The rib is posi-y tioned on the pipe l*in such. manner as to maintain the spring D under-slight compression between the head and the base A, whereby the `spring normally acts to hold the flange 15 of the lhead constantly against'the shoulder 18 of the pipeand-maintainfthe head in proper position on the pipe.

A metallic interchange or coupling device F having a face 20ct the contour'of the presentstandard hose coupling and carried in a vertical plane parallel with the face of :the connector head IE, .is provided forconvenience in connecting `the hose of a car equipped with the automatidconnector to the 4hose ofI acan notso-.equipped The interchange has a` shank 2l threaded at22 to receive the rear threaded endof the pipe'B to which pipe t is connected. The openingin the interchange' at its point end of the pipe tolwhich it is secured and by virtue of the loose 'fit of the pipe in the ybase A and the head E, the interchange is free to rotate readily about said axis.

connectionl with the pipe is in line with the axis' of theY coupling in the end of the hose of .the car" of connecting Ithe present' hand system, ex-

ceptinstead of rotating both the yinterchange and the coupling in the hose, only the interchange is rotated.

When it is desired to make air connection with a ear not having the connector, the hose mentioned is disconnected from the inter change F, by rotating the latter upward relative to the lcoupling in the hose, and 1s then swung around theconncctor head and coupled with the hose of the unequipped car the same as the present system is coupled.

With this arrangement a short length of hose can be used to couple my automatlc connector with the train pipe of the car without impairing ready connection or disconnection ot' the hose to and-from the interchange. In constructions Where the interchangecannot be rotated in the manner described, it is necessary to use a long section of hose to couple from it to the train line inv order to get sutticient iexibility in the hose to rotate the coupling it carries into the position re uired by such constructions to couple into t e interchange.

A lock 23 for preventing accidental uncoupling ofthe hose from the interchange is carried by the arm 24 of the interchange, the arm being provided with a depression at 25 to receive the lock.- The lock consists of a rivet having a tapered face 26 and a cylindrical shank 27 (see Fig. 5). The shank ext-ends through a hole in the arm 24 of the interchange andv is riveted therein as shown. The lip 28 of the coupling in the end of the hose of the car being equipped is held behind the lock 23 by the resiliency of the gasket 23 in the interchange and also by the pressure ot the air passing through the hose vand the interchange. A slight turn of the coupling of said hose, rotating the coupling toward the face of the interchange, lifts the lip 2S ot the coupling out from behind the lock 23, whereupon the parts may be readily7 disconnected in the manner previously described.

This construction of lock and the free rotary movement of the interchange F with the pipe B, relative to the base A, eliminates all langer of. accidental uncoupling of the hose from the interchange and prevents kinking of the hose when the cars pass around sharp curves or assume other extreme conditlons of disalinement.

A. moditication of the interchange device l". shown in Figs. 1. 2 and 6, isillustrated in Fig. 3. lt consists 'of a head Ll1 provided with a straight shank 42 extending parallel with the axis of the gasket 43 in the fface of the head 4l, and threaded for connection with the pipe B. In all other respects this type of interchange is constructed the same as interchange F. To use it with best results, it is desirable however to locate the hose of the car being equipped on the opposite side of the car to present standard.

The coupling head E is of substantially rectangular outline viewed from the front and is provided with diagonally spaced guiding prongs or wings 29 which diverge in the vertical and horizontal planes and extend forwardly of the face 31 of the head. The prongs are preferably two in number and serve to aline mating heads in coupling vting closely with the portions 32 at the sides of a mating head, which portions are also machined and extend rearwardly of the face of the head E and at a right angle thereto.

The head is further provided` at its hase with portions 33 which lie entirely in the horizontal plane, ou the transverse center line of the head, and` which extend rearwardly from the face 3l of the latter and at a right angle thereto. To constitute complementary surfaces for mating with these portions 33 of the head, the inner guiding edge 34 `(Fig. 6) Vof the prongs 29, is provided with a surface 35 that lies also entirely in the horizontal plane, on the transverse center line ot' the head E, and which extends'forwardly of the face 31 thereof' and. at a right angle thereto.

The prongs are further provided with an outer guiding edge 36 andboth this edge and the inner guiding edge 34 are curved slightly in the vertical plane, at 37 where they leave the face of the head. These curved sections constitute the only sections of the prongs that are curved in the vertical plane' at the face of said coupling head. The

pitch of the curves 37 changes as they approach the forward extremity 38 of the prongs and gradually die out into one curve which encompasses the `whole face of the prong 29 instead of only a part, producing a distinct. convexed face, as shown particularly in Fig. 6.

This construction of head and prongs has many advantages. Where heads are provided with right angle lportions, such as 32 and 33, for mating withl complementary surfaces on their guiding prongs, such as surfaces 3Q and 35. difficulty is encountered in effecting a coupling, with the present form of prongs, on sharp curves with cars of unequal height.

d The form of the prongs of the present in- `surfaces mentioned, ink advance of meeting of the faces 31 of mating coupling heads,l

whereby thelast inch or so of movement of mating heads is strictly yparallel as they1 socket together. In this manner a firm and rigid interlocky of the heads is effected which will prevent any relative angular or lateral movement between their faces 31 under the sharp Whipping movement of running cars.

To further facilitate coupling of the heads under a combination of extreme vertical and lateral disalinement, where one prong of mating heads might tend to wedge on the top of the other head, the face 31 of the head E is rounded at 39, as are also the corners 40.

No claim is herein made to the .novel features of the particular form of coupling` head described in the foregoing specification. Claims covering this subject-matter are ini eluded in another application Serial No.

825.837 filed March 19, 1914;.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 1. I n an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination of a vieldable support, a coupling head carried lby said support, a hollow member extending from said head substantially at right angles to the face of said head fordirecting a Huid thereto, and a metallic coupling device mounted directly on said member, said coupling device being provided with a face carried in a plane parallel with the face of said coupling head.

2. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the

combination of a base, a coupling head supl ported from the base and movable relative thereto, a hollow metallic member extending from said head for directinga fluid thereto, said member bein rotatable relative to the head, and a-couphng device connected with said member and adapted to rotate therewith.

3. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the

combination of a base, a coupling head sup- "combination of a base, a coupling head supported for movement relative to said base, a stem extending fromsaid head through said base and rotatable relative to the head and ibase, and a coupling device connected with il@ flported for movement relative to said base, a llange, and a spring confined between. said 130 =`said stem and adapted to rotate therewith.

5. In an automatic trainpipe coupling, the combination of a base, a-couplinghead supstem extending loosely through said head and base,.a coupling. device connected to said. stem behind said base, and means for preventing excessive rotation` of said head relative to vsaid base, said means tending normally to maintain the head incorrect position 'for coupling.

6. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination of a base, a coupling head supported vfrom said base, a stem extending from said head and carrying a coupling device for receiving the coupling in the endof the hose of thel car, an arm on said coupling device having an opening, and a lock on said arm for preventing accidental disconnection of the hoseI from said coupling device, said lock consisting of a rivet having a tapered head and having also a shank, the shank being extended through the opening lin said arm and riveted to the latter.

7. In an automatic train pipe coupling,the combination of base, a head` a coiled spring having its endsabuttingl the base and head respectively, a tube connecting the base and head and adapted-to llimit separation thereof under the action of the spring while permittingmovement of the tube about its g axis relative to the base and head, and means for connecting the tube with a train-pipe.

8. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination of a base, a head, a tube provided with means for attachment t0 a train pipe and adapted to rotate in apertures in the base and head, a rib on said tube for limiting movement of the head awayy from. the base, and a coiled spring surrounding the tube and conned between the base and head.

ico

9. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the

combination of a coupling head adapted to be connected with a train pipe and having anopening in its face, a flange extending lfrom the head` into said opening, and a stem mounted in the opening and provided with a shoulder abutting said liange whereby said head is locked against undue forward movement on said stem. Y

10. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination of a coupling head adapted to beconnected with a train pipe and having an opening in its face, a flange extending from the head into said opening, a stem loosely mounted in the -opening and provided with a shoulder abutting said Hange where-` by said head may-move rearwardly along `said stem from its normal positionV thereon but not forwardly from such position. Y

11. In an automatic train pipe coupling, the combination of-a base, a coupling head v supported for movement relative to said base and adaptedto be connected witha train hea-d and base and acting normally to hold said head at the limit of its forward movement on Said stem. 12. In an automatic train pipe coupling, 5 the combination of e coupling head 'of substantially rectangular outline and having an opening in its face, a base, means coperatng with said base to support said head, and n tube extending through the opening in 1n said head and provided with means for attaohment to e train pipe whereby it is adapted to conduct a fluid from the rear Aof the head to :i point approximately Hush with the face thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature l5 in presence of two Witnesses.

JOSEPH V. ROBNSON. Witnesses M. C. SHERIDAN,

J. A. WATSON. 

